Ravioli, Rabioli, Tomaytoe, Tomatoe

Dinnertime. It can be a source of frustration or relaxation for you. I'll admit that cooking does feel really good and it can be relaxing and satisfying. But not when there's screaming little ones who are hungry and tired and you're just as tired because you've holding a baby all day and it's hard to cook with an infant in your arms but they aren't happy if you put them down and you're nervous about putting them in a carrier to be hands free because accidents happen and you are the person who would absolutely spill hot water on your infant so you resort to cooking sideways, listening to the baby scream while you cook, or better yet you throw in the towel and say screw it and don't cook at all. 

WHEW! 

Dinnertime can feel rushed and frustrating most days. I'm all about good healthy meals for my family. There's nothing quite like cooking a well rounded meal and your family feeling satisfied and full. But there are evenings when you momma cup is running on empty and you need a quick, but good dinner for your family but also for you!

Enter pre-made ravioli. Or as L likes to say, "rabioli".

Prep time: About 15 minutes (including boiling water and preheating oven)

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 bags of pre-made Ravioli (we like the Italian Sausage ones)
 1 jar of spaghetti sauce

1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
Some sort of ceramic or glass dish

Start by boiling water in a large pot. The pre-made ravioli can only be boiled for 4 minutes. Anything more and the ravioli will start to come apart.

Drain and rinse the ravioli.

I like to use a ceramic dish for this dinner. If you're using a ceramic dish, it's usually recommended to pre-heat your dish before the cooking time. Put the ravioli in the dish and pour the sauce on top. I usually use a wooden spoon to kind of move the sauce around to make sure it completely covers all the ravioli.

Top with about 1/2 cup of shredded mozerella. You could add as much or little as you would like!

Pop in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted. And enjoy!


What I love about the recipe is that it is easy to "doctor up". If you had extra vegetables like mushrooms, tomatoes, fresh herbs, or even onions, you could easily add those in! These ravioli's also freeze really nicely in their packages! I bought about 4 packages when they were on sale to save for my maternity leave. 

I hope you enjoy this simple but yummy recipe for those crazy evenings!